The Business Elevation Show With Chris Cooper - Be More. Achieve More

Bad Powerpoint (and boring presentations) are everywhere! It appears that they have almost become the norm and in many cases people are oblivious to it. It doesn’t have to be that way. Bad presentations are very costly. They can cost money, jobs and reputations, don’t let your slides ruin your pitch! Having myself facilitated a large tender on behalf of a client to find an architectural firm to support a major project we kicked one supplier out at the very start of the process due to amongst other factors a poor presentation. Yet they were the biggest company in the pitch and should have known better! So if you want your presentations to stand out join me with my guest Lee Jackson. Lee Jackson is an international speaker, Powerpoint Surgeon, presentation coach and author of seven books including Powerpoint Surgery. If you want to gain the powerpoint edge this show is a must.

We are without doubt in a connection economy and it is the small things that make an enormous difference as to whether people trust you, connect and will engage with you. According to my guest we must ask the question - is my next action going to build a relationship by earning trust or is it going to burn it? During this show, I will be talking to Paul Dunn a 3-time TEDx speaker based in Singapore. Paul is a Senior Fellow in one of the World’s Leading Think Tanks and holds a Lifetime Service Award to the Accounting Profession in the UK. Paul recently featured in Forbes Magazine alongside Sir Richard Branson in a global piece on ‘disrupters’ in business. His book, The Firm of the Future, is regarded as a breakthrough book for professional knowledge firms. He is Chairman of the revolutionary B1G1: Business for Good, a company that’s already enabled businesses to create almost 50 Million giving impacts around the world. Join us if you care about building business and changing lives.

Would you like to be more productive? To organise yourself and your business to get the best results possible? Do you want to really serve those you work for? If so it makes sense to understand how the organ that drives it all actually works. Maybe you have heard about Neuroscience? But perhaps felt a little unsure about the practical applications? My guest Amy Brann bridges the gap between cutting edge neuroscientific research and organisations who can use it. Leaving UCL medical school to pursue a Coaching career she became fascinated by what the brain can teach us to help transform thinking & performance. Participating in over 12,000 hours of Coaching all over the world. Her company, Synaptic Potential, partners with the Wales Centre for Behaviour Change to deliver cutting edge training. She is the author of ‘Make Your Brain Work’ and ‘Neuroscience for Coaches’ both published by Kogan Page. Join us for a fascinating, valuable and brain friendly show.

Talent and technical expertise will only take your career so far. Corporate Executive Presence (CEP) takes you to the top! Call it executive swagger, corporate charisma, personal impact or professional gravitas; your career and leadership success depends on your ability to influence others, radiate confidence and exert authority. Thankfully, much of this is coachable, and CEP expert Rob Brown is joining me to show us how! From powerful first impressions to ongoing popularity and credibility, great leaders and executives get this stuff right. When you do, you’ll gain more respect and buy-in for your ideas and opinions, raise your personal share price, favourably influence your stakeholders and shareholders, become a more valuable and coveted person, enhance your company’s reputation and build deeper, more profitable relationships. Join me with Rob Brown to discuss the common traits of people with CEP, his CEP framework with 12 critical elements and strategies for building your CEP.

Ever wondered what it must be like to fly a fast jet in a combat situation? Think about fast jets and my mind immediately takes me to the film ‘Top Gun’ and I have always been intrigued to understand more about this challenging and dangerous endeavour . When life is on the line, pilots must be rigorously trained and exercises carefully planned and evaluated. There is much we can learn in business from such careful strategy, training, planning and debriefing. My guest for this show is Mandy Hickson. Mandy fought hard to achieve her ambition to be a Royal Air Force pilot. She was only the second woman to fly a Tornado GR4, completing three tours of duty and 45 missions over Iraq. Today, Mandy shares the strategies, tactics and behaviours adopted for high stake missions for the benefit of today’s business leaders. Join us for an interview that will help us to take our businesses higher and faster!

Would you like to know more about Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and how it could help you to become more successful with your work? Having studied NLP myself to Master Practitioner level, I found it provided a very helpful selection of tools for all aspects of working with people. My guest is Jeremy Lazarus whose latest book 'NLP for Business Success' is a highly practical guide to using NLP to significantly improve your results at work. Whether you want to be a better leader, manager, negotiator, salesperson or decision maker there are techniques that can help you to boost your career, as well as the performance of colleagues and your organization. Jeremy is an Executive Coach and a Certified Master Trainer of NLP. His clients include blue chips, SMEs, and elite athletes, including the Great Britain pistol shooting team. He is a guest lecturer at two UK universities, and has authored four best-selling books. Join us for a very practical interview on NLP for business success.

Do you want more media coverage for your business? Or want to know how to best get your message across through media? During this show we will be discussing how to attract media interest and the key do’s and don’ts of communicating via newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and on TV. My guest for this show is media and presentation coach, broadcast journalist and award winning international speaker Michael Dodd. Michael speaks and trains across six continents helping leaders and other professionals to get their message across - through the media and face to face. He runs master classes boosting communications skills for diplomats from UK Trade and Investment in British embassies, consulates and high commissions around the world. He also works with frontline United Nations officials to help them convey the right messages when being interviewed in the world’s trouble spots. Join us for a fascinating and content rich show that could make a world of difference to your business results.

So what does it take to be a corporate athlete? Just like an olympian it takes simple, consistent, everyday actions to improve performance, leading to habitual excellence. Simply doing the right things and doing them better every time! On this show I am delighted to welcome Sheena Walker. With a background as a swimmer and former Scottish National Team swimming coach. Sheena was was rewarded for her personal achievements in taking swimmers from grass roots to the podium by Stirling Council both as the Manager of Special Olympics and as a Scottish squad Coach Sheena Walker is a globally renowned International speech coach, public speaker and business development professional. A rare background as an athlete and a performance coach in sport. Sheena is the founder of “The Secret of a Corporate Athlete“ Performance Solution. Join us for what I am sure will be a fascinating show to help you improve your performance in business.

Crowd Funding has become an increasingly important way to obtain funding for projects and to raise equity. However, as my guest will explain the collection of finance from a variety of participants can be traced back to ancient times, yet has grown exponentially with the power of the internet. Steve Houghton-Burnett is a motivational speaker who runs a successful Change Management consultancy, a business angel and Non-Executive Director of several small fast-growth businesses. Responsible for helping to establish the Internet as a major force for UK business he started one of the first five Internet Service Provision (ISP) businesses in the UK. It grew rapidly and after 2 mergers and 2 additional rounds of funding was sold for £300 million 6 weeks before the .COM bubble burst, creating 14 'overnight' millionaires. Steve is passionate about crowd funding and will help us to understand how we can use it to raise finance or become a contributor via the power of the internet.

What can we learn from a dog about how effective we are as a leader? My guest on this show has both a love of dogs and a passion for leadership and believes there is a lot we can learn about our leadership behaviour from our dog. Lesley Hunter is 'The Pack Leader' - a specialist in turning managers into authentic leaders in the workplace. Lesley is an international speaker, author and acclaimed leadership coach who uses a simple metaphor to provoke behavioural change in her audiences and encourage people to become 'pack leaders' in their own organisations. She is the owner of a boisterous strong-willed German Shepherd who has been the inspiration for her work based around what human leaders can learn from working with dogs. Join us to find out what you can learn about your leadership style from your dog and perhaps also learn some great lessons on how to train our dogs to respect us as their pack leader. Barney (my labradoodle) - you better watch out!

Would you like to use your business to help others through charitable contribution? If so some of the questions you may ask yourself are does it make good business sense, why should I do it, what can I do, when, where, who will I help and how? Following last weeks inspirational interview with Stephen Sutton (who has raised enormous finds for the ‘Teenage Cancer Trust’ through his inspirational work and story) and also Mike Pagan, this seems great timing to help you answer some of these really important questions. My expert guest is David Hyner - researcher of top achievers, a speaker, author, broadcaster, adventurer, father and husband. He is passionate about living how you wished to be remembered long after you have gone. His work in Africa and for charity has raised significant much needed funds and proves that anyone can make a difference if they “really” want to. Join us to think through how your business can be a great vehicle to add more value and quality of life for others.

Do you procrastinate? If so, you are not alone! However, if you have a very compelling reason to get things done, it is incredible what you can achieve. Take my guest Stephen Sutton (19) who has been battling cancer since age 15. Stephen has inspired thousands with his positivity and passion for life. He has achieved more than most in a lifetime; winning countless awards and raising over £1m for 'The Teenage Cancer Trust'. Mike Pagan also joins us as a motivational MC and conference speaker who talks on business issues such as productivity. He is the author of the book 'Faff'. Join us to stop procrastinating and to get on with the important things you need to get done including living life well! Since pre-recording this show on the 15th of April, Stephen has sadly been taken very ill and his farewell message has spread widely across social and mainstream media. This interview is shared with love for Stephen, his family and those he has so inspired. His legacy will live on!

It is amazing how much more we can achieve when we become more efficient. A key characteristic of very successful people is that they have learned to do well some of the things that less successful people just don't like doing. Efficiency is one of those things. By improving our efficiency and giving it focus with the help of self discipline and proven techniques we can achieve so much more. As someone who is always working on turning personal chaos into order meeting the guest on this show Mike Pagan was a turning point. Mike is one of Europe's leading speakers and authors on efficiency and productivity. On this show we will discuss not only the negative costs of not improving our efficiency but more importantly HOW to improve your efficiency and achieve so much more. If you think you could be more efficient this is a Must listen to show.

Are you fascinated by the secrets of people that achieve exceptional results while others seem to struggle? Also, why is it that our school systems don't necessarily accept and support people who are quirky and unconventional? They then leave and achieve exceptional results leaving their doubting teachers looking foolish. My guest left school dyslexic and a no hoper only to discover his natural talents led to him making his first million at the age of 22 and over the next 10 years becoming known in Denmark as 'the golden boy'. However unable to cope with his success he left everything behind to rediscover himself. This he did in a Bornean longhouse living with the Iban tribe for 8 years. Join us to hear an incredible story focused on the lessons about business and life that Simon Steenholm has discovered during his unique life experience. Believe me this is some story and I am really enjoying getting to know Simon and learning about his unique philosophy.

As the world moves towards increased collaboration aided by our increased connectivity via the internet it is easy to jump into collaborative relationships without fully planning for the risks. Those of us who have been in business a while will have experienced successful and also unsuccessful collaborations and be clear which can leave us feeling restless at night! On this show, I am delighted to welcome Simon Drury and Steve Bernard. Simon is a business psychologist, corporate mentor, coach, trainer and speaker. Steve is an organisational development Coach & founder of Connectwell – The Relationship Company. Two people who understand connection and collaboration. Join us for a practical show that follows perfectly from the mind expanding interview with Marshall Thurber on Global Conversion. Worth listening to both these interviews as they are highly connected topics that provide massive potential (and risks if we are not careful) for our business growth and personal wellbeing!

For the longest of times we have been diverging; creating groups of people such as tribes, because it was thought (and was true in fact) that there was not enough to go around. This scarcity remained a truth until 1927 when Buckminster Fuller was able to demonstrate that when we co-operate there is abundance, all we have to do is co-operate; scarcity no longer needs to be our operating context. Enter the Internet, a structural change that is fueling global convergence. My guest on this show Marshall Thurber is a successful attorney, real estate developer, editor, businessman, educator, scholar, inventor, negotiator, author, visionary and public speaker. His students have included Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) , founder and creator of Paul Mitchell hair products, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Spencer Johnson (Who Moved My Cheese), Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker, and Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad). Join us for what will be a fascinating show.

Ever felt like giving up? Sometimes in business days can be tough, however, nothing can really compare with suddenly losing your health. However, through overcoming tragedy, strong mindsets can be built and lessons learned that we can take back into our work to increase our resilience and results. The Mark Colbourne story is incredible. Breaking his back in a near fatal paragliding accident in 2009, Mark was left with lower leg paralysis and drop foot in both feet. He fought for 12 months to walk again and then put himself through hell and back to win paralympic gold and two silver medals in cycling . His achievements were honoured with an MBE from HRH Prince Charles. Join the show for a tremendous story of triumph over adversity and some winning ideas to inspire you win in business and life even in those moments when you feel like giving up.

Building empathy between clients and colleagues of different nationalities and from different cultural backgrounds can be very challenging. I am therefore delighted to have one of the world's leading authorities on cultural diversity, intercultural communication and international business practices joining me to help us navigate through this mine field. Deborah Swallow is an International Keynote Speaker, seminar leader, consultant and author with an outstanding global client list. During the show we will be discussing how to get your triple rating to fly, the personal attributes and business attributes you need to acquire for international and cultural success. Join us for what will be a fascinating show for anyone who wants to deal with different nationalities more effectively.

What does it take to be a really engaging leader. Some leaders have it and some simply do not. On this show, I am delighted to be exploring this issue with client and friend Stuart Pickles who knows more than most the importance being an engaging leader. Stuart is an ex Chief Financial officer and coach,who spent 25 years in senior leadership positions in Finance, Sales and transformation, including Unilever, Kraft and Foster’s, where he was CFO for European operations. A qualified accountant he developed a passion for leadership and motivating people through necessity. A life changing coaching experience led him to lead the creation of a coaching performance culture and doubling bottom line profit. His story has been the subject of various articles on “Coaching at Work”. Having worked with Stuart who now runs Aim Higher Leadership Ltd, I know from experience that he has a tremendous story to share to help us all become engaging leaders.

Attracting, recruiting and developing talented people to perform at a high level is a real art form. During this show we are going to explore the different facets of talent development. This show will be hosted by David Bassett a senior lecturer from Leeds Metropolitan University. Chris is well known for being the host and founder of this show, however, in his day job is in high demand as a developer of talent. Chris helps businesses to develop their talent and elevate themselves to a higher level in their market places. He works with start ups through to major multi-nationals, is a President of the Professional Speaking Association in the UK and founder of this show which is accessed in over 50 countries. Join us for what will be an essential show for anyone wishing to grow their business through motivating their talent to realize their potential.